Shares of Large-cap Software company Block were up 3.1% during today's morning session, as the S&P 500 posted a 1.0% change. Today's upwards movement shows that investor interest in SQ stock is strong -- but how closely have they studied the company's margins?
While Block's gross margins for the last year are positive, we are concerned that the company's operating margins are in the red. Gross margins take into account only the cost of revenue, or variable costs -- meaning the cost directly associated with producing the products or providing the service offered by the company.
Operating margins, on the other hand, take into account the company's overhead as well. Overhead, also called fixed costs, includes the company's rent, salaries for personnel not included in cost of revenue, equipment and supplies, amortization, and depreciation. Operating margins tell you about how efficiently Block is run, and gross margins tell you how profitable its product line is.
| Date Reported | Revenue ($ k) | Cost of Revenue ($ k) | Gross Margins (%) | YoY Growth (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-02-23 | 17,531,587 | -11,539,695 | 34 | 36.0 |
| 2022-02-24 | 17,661,203 | -13,241,380 | 25 | -10.71 |
| 2021-02-23 | 9,497,578 | -6,764,169 | 28 | -30.0 |
| 2020-02-26 | 4,713,500 | -2,823,815 | 40 | 0.0 |
| 2019-02-27 | 3,298,177 | -1,994,477 | 40 | 5.26 |
| 2018-02-27 | 2,214,253 | -1,374,947 | 38 |
| Date Reported | Total Revenue ($ k) | Operating Expenses ($ k) | Operating Margins (%) | YoY Growth (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-02-23 | 17,531,587 | -6,019,170 | 0 | -100.0 |
| 2022-02-24 | 17,661,203 | -3,999,594 | 2 | 0.0 |
| 2021-02-23 | 9,497,578 | -2,574,554 | 2 | -33.33 |
| 2020-02-26 | 4,713,500 | -1,736,169 | 3 | 50.0 |
| 2019-02-27 | 3,298,177 | -1,252,237 | 2 | 100.0 |
| 2018-02-27 | 2,214,253 | -826,494 | 1 |
Over the last four years, Block's operating margins have averaged 1.7% and are growing at a rate of -29.7%. Despite the unprofitable results in the most recent year, there is no present indication that the company's lack of profitability is part of an endurring trend.
